JANM Email Updates

Civil Rights Today: The Legacy of Minoru Yasui

Saturday, April 30, 2016
2:00 PM

Minoru “Min” Yasui was a young Nisei attorney in Oregon during World War II when he violated the military curfew imposed upon all persons of Japanese ancestry in order to bring a test case to court. He lost that case in the U.S. Supreme Court, but nearly 40 years later he reopened it as part of the coram nobis litigation brought by young Sansei attorneys in 1983. Recognized posthumously by President Obama with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, Yasui was not only a key player in both of those struggles, but also an outspoken, deeply committed activist all his life, working tirelessly for the human and civil rights of all people.

The year 2016 marks Yasui’s 100th birthday and the 74th anniversary of his voluntary arrest. This special event will pay tribute to Yasui’s courage and leadership, his lifetime of service, and the civil rights legacy that he left behind.

Honorary Chair will be Irene Hirano-Inouye, President of the U.S.-Japan Council and former JANM President. Speakers will include Peggy Nagae, Esq., a noted redress activist and the lead attorney in reopening Yasui’s WWII case; Holly Yasui, youngest daughter of Min and True Yasui; and Dr. Irum Siekh, a filmmaker, oral historian, scholar, and author of the book Detained Without Cause: Muslims’ Stories of Detention and Deportation in America after 9/11. Holly will also screen an excerpt from her upcoming documentary film, Never Give Up! Minoru Yasui and the Fight for Justice. More speakers to be announced; please check back for updates.

RSVPs for this event are near capacity. Entry cannot be guaranteed unless on the RSVP list.

This event is presented in partnership with the Minoru Yasui Civil Rights Committee, Los Angeles; the UCLA Asian American Studies Center; and the George and Sakaye Aratani Chair on the Japanese American Incarceration, Redress and Community, UCLA.